1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for fabricating a conductive substrate. In particular, the present invention relates to a laminated substrate, formed from alternating conductive and dielectric material layers, which may be used as an interposer.
2. State of the Art
Higher performance, lower cost, increased miniaturization of integrated circuit components, and greater packaging density are ongoing goals of the computer industry. As these goals are achieved, microelectronic dice become smaller. A smaller size allows more microelectronic dice to be produced on each semiconductor wafer, which reduces the cost of each microelectronic die. However, the small size of each microelectronic die makes it difficult to directly incorporate them into microelectronic devices. Thus, a microelectronic die may be attached to an interposer to allow for easier connection of the microelectronic die to other device components.
FIG. 18 illustrates a package 200 comprising a microelectronic die 202 electrically connected to an interposer 204. The interposer 204 comprises a substrate core 206 (e.g., bismaleimide triazine resin, FR4, polyimide materials, and the like) having dielectric layers (e.g., epoxy resin, polyimide, bisbenzocyclobutene, and the like) and conductive traces (e.g., copper, aluminum, and the like) on a top surface thereof to form a top trace network 212, and dielectric layers and conductive traces on a bottom surface thereof to form a bottom trace network 214. To achieve electrical interconnect between the top trace network 212 and the bottom trace network 214, holes are drilled through the substrate core 206 in specific locations and these holes are plated with a conductive material. The resulting plated holes are known in the art as xe2x80x9cplated through-hole (PTH)xe2x80x9d vias 218. FIG. 19 illustrates the interposer 204 with the top trace network 212 and the bottom trace network 214 on the substrate core 206. The top trace network 212 comprises a first dielectric layer 222 having first conductive traces 224 formed thereon, wherein the first conductive traces 224 extend through the first dielectric layer 222 to contact the PTH vias 218 or traces 226 which contact the PTH vias 218. A second dielectric layer 222xe2x80x2 is disposed over the first dielectric layer 222 and the first conductive traces 224. Second conductive traces 224xe2x80x2 are formed on the second dielectric layer 222xe2x80x2, wherein the second conductive traces 224xe2x80x2 extend through the second dielectric layer 222xe2x80x2 to contact a respective first conductive trace 224. A third dielectric layer 222xe2x80x3 is disposed over the second dielectric layer 222xe2x80x2 and the second conductive traces 224xe2x80x2, and first solder ball lands 228 are formed to extend through the third dielectric layer 222xe2x80x3. A first solder resist 232 is formed over the third dielectric layer 222xe2x80x3 to surround the first solder ball lands 228. The bottom trace network 214 is formed in a similar fashion as the top trace network 212 with first, second, and third dielectric layers (234, 234xe2x80x2, and 234xe2x80x3, respectively) and first, second, and third conductive traces (236, 236xe2x80x2, and 236xe2x80x3, respectively), wherein second solder ball lands 238 are formed with the third conductive traces 236xe2x80x3 and a second solder resist 242 is formed over the third dielectric layer 234xe2x80x3 and a portion of the third conductive trace 236xe2x80x3 to surround the second solder ball lands 238.
Referring to FIG. 18, the microelectronic die 202 is attached to and in electrical contact with the top trace network 212 through small solder balls 244. The small solder balls 244 extend between contacts 246 on the microelectronic die 202 and the first solder ball lands 228 (see FIG. 19). External contacts 248 (shown as solder balls) are formed on the second solder ball lands 238 (see FIG. 19). The external contacts 248 are attached to an external electrical system (not shown). Thus, the use of the interposer 204 allows electrical communication between the microelectronic die 202 and an external electrical system (not shown).
FIGS. 20-24 illustrate a panel plating method of forming a copper plated through-hole via, such as shown as the PTH vias 218 in FIGS. 18 and 19. As shown in FIG. 20, a first copper layer 252 disposed on a first surface 254 of the substrate 206 and a second copper layer 256 disposed on a second surface 258 of substrate 206. A hole 262 is drilled through the first copper layer 252, the substrate 206, and the second copper layer 256, as shown in FIG. 21. As shown in FIG. 22, a copper sidewall layer 264 is formed on a sidewall(s) 266 of the hole 262 with an electroless copper plating technique followed by a copper electroplating process, as known in the art. A resist layer 268 is patterned over the hole 262 (see FIG. 22) and a portion of the first copper layer 252 and the second copper layer 256, as shown in FIG. 23. The first copper layer 252 and the second copper layer 256 are then etched and the resist layer 268 is removed to form a plated through-hole via 218, as illustrated in FIG. 24.
The fabrication of the interposer 204 requires a number of processing steps which increases the cost of the package. In particular, the formation of the PTH vias 218 has numerous, time-intensive processing steps. Therefore, it would be advantageous to design an interposer and a technique for fabrication the same, which eliminates the need for forming PTH vias.